


a good egg

by Magepaw



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fluff, Happy Ending, Insecurity, Light Angst, M/M, Magic, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-04 07:59:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15837090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magepaw/pseuds/Magepaw
Summary: Bokuto finds a very good egg! This is the best day ever!





	a good egg

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mousapelli](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mousapelli/gifts).



> this is from last summer but i'm finally cleaning it up and posting it!! some lighthearted fun <3 endgame is bokuroaka but it's really gen 
> 
> also!! if you like this check out [this adorable akaashi pov remix](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13236876)!!

Bokuto beamed, grinning so hard he felt like his face was going to split open. This was the coolest thing that ever happened to him. He just had to get back to his quarters with this bundle of sticks in his pack without getting caught and everything would be just perfect. He dashed through the great hall, dodging empty chairs and leaping over the mess table – then abruptly skidded to a halt.

  
No, no, this was all wrong, he had to act _natural_ or everyone would know something was up. But what was natural for him? Wait. Maybe trying too hard to act like something other than himself would be _more_ suspicious, like that time he tried to prank Kuroo by loosening his saddle straps so he'd fall off his horse and onto his butt in front of everyone, only Kuroo took one look at his face and immediately guessed what he did and totally got him back for it later by hiding all the spoons so he had to eat his soup with a fork. That was awful.

  
  
But then again, Kuroo was always the best at guessing what he was trying to hide. Maybe other people wouldn't question him as long as he just avoided Kuroo. Maybe other people would think it was normal for him to be running in the halls and grinning like a loon because that actually was a thing he did regularly, now that he thought about it, but did that make him not normal because other people didn't do that as often –

  
  
"Ngggggaahh!!" Bokuto scrunched up his face and scrubbed his hands through his hair. "This is too complicated!"

  
  
"What is," asked Kuroo with a raised eyebrow.

  
  
Bokuto whipped around. Kuroo was lounging in the window seat with his boots kicked up against the wall, a book about famous cats in paintings splayed upside down over his chest. He smirked.

  
  
Bokuto felt his stomach plummet to his knees.

  
  
"You totally didn't notice I was in the room, did you," Kuroo drawled.

  
  
"Damn it!"

  
  
"That whole situational awareness thing is what the instructors keep nailing you on, y'know."

  
  
"You're too quiet and I was in a hurry! I mean, no I wasn't in a hurry, I'm not going anywhere," Bokuto corrected.

  
  
Kuroo sat up and folded his hands, eying him as if he had all the patience in the world. Compared to Bokuto, he did.

  
  
Bokuto fidgeted, mouth twisting in odd grimace. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, then cast a furtive glance over his shoulder. There was no one else in the chamber.

  
  
"Okay, I was gonna show you anyway, but we gotta get back to my quarters first," Bokuto relented, dropping his voice into a dramatic whisper. "I don’t wanna get in trouble again."

  
  
Kuroo sprang up and slung an arm over Bokuto's broad shoulders. Bokuto allowed himself to be steered down the hall as Kuroo chattered, acting totally natural because Kuroo was a natural at being natural, not like Bokuto.

  
  
"Now that's what I like to hear! Uhh, what's up with all the sticks in your bag? I hope that's not the surprise because I just saw them. …Sorry."

  
  
"Shh, not so loud!"

 

* * *

  
  
Once they were safely in Bokuto's living quarters with the door secured, Bokuto threw the pack full of sticks onto his mattress. He was only a squire, so his tiny room could barely fit the two of them between the lumpy bed and the standard issue writing desk where he definitely practiced memorizing the code of chivalry every night, like any good knight-in-training definitely did. Soon they'd be old enough to be knighted officially, so he should really have that memorized soon.

  
  
Bokuto eagerly clambered onto the bed and motioned for Kuroo to sit beside him.

  
  
"Okay," Bokuto grinned, wriggling in place as Kuroo got settled. "Are you ready? I found him while I was looking for my horse yesterday in the enchanted woods after I shouted too loud during practice and spooked her and she threw me off, remember?"

  
  
"Yeah, I was there, of course I…" Kuroo trailed off. Then his brow crinkled with concern, and he leaned in close to whisper. "Wait, this is a living thing? Are you hiding a pet? Shit, Kou, you're gonna get kicked out of the castle. You know we're not allowed to have animals in here."

  
  
Bokuto puffed up indignantly. "No, no, it's not like that! I mean… Well, he's _alive_ , but I don't know what he _is_ , exactly. So he's not an animal. Yet. So it's fine!"

  
  
"What."

  
  
"Just look," Bokuto urged, and jammed his hand into the straw-stuffed pillow to pull out a round object roughly the size of his head. It was dark and pebbly on the surface, but it felt less like stone and more like hard leather or some kind of fruit, something with slight springiness when he tried pushing down on it. It was surprisingly warm, and pulsed in his palm like a slow heartbeat.

  
  
Bokuto held it out, and grinned with satisfaction as Kuroo's eyes widened.

  
  
"That's… not a pet rock."

  
  
"Nope," Bokuto confirmed.

  
  
"It's some kind of egg. You took some weird egg from the enchanted forest without knowing what it is."

  
  
Bokuto nodded emphatically.

  
  
"The forest full of _monsters_ ," Kuroo continued slowly. "That we are being trained to _fight_. Kou. Do you see where I'm going with this."

  
  
Bokuto deflated a little. He pulled the egg back to his lap in a protective gesture, smile drooping into a pout. He busied himself pulling sticks out of his pack and arranging them into a slipshod nest.

  
  
"I thought he might be more comfortable in here if he had a bed of his own," Bokuto deflected. "I found him lying in the dirt and no one was around to take care of him. Something was gonna eat him, Tetsu. He's just a baby."

  
  
He wove another stick into the design, and tried to think about birds' nests he'd seen in the past. It didn't really look as nice as he'd pictured it in his head. It should be more symmetrical, probably. These sticks were all too weird-shaped to fit right. How did birds do that, anyway? Did they start with a plan and only look for perfect shaped sticks to match their blueprint, or did they have a way to trim them down and make them all fit like a jigsaw puzzle? Maybe he should snap some of these into smaller shapes. But what if he messed them up and couldn't use them at all? That would be worse. Better keep them the way they are.

  
  
"A baby _monster_ ," Kuroo pointed out. "What are you gonna do when he hatches into a giant spider, or a flying snake that spits venom? Keep him under your bed? What if he tries to eat you?"

  
  
"Akaashi would never do that!"

  
  
"Oh my god, you named the egg. Where did you even come up with such a weird name? How many vowels does it have?"

  
  
"He's not a spider, I'm sure of it. Akaashi knows I don't like spiders," Bokuto sulked.

  
  
He tried to stab another stick into the nest to make it less lopsided. The entire thing collapsed. Bokuto glared at the jumble of sticks, clenching his teeth and bunching his fingers in the bed sheets. He just couldn't get anything right, could he? What a screw-up.

  
  
Kuroo's hand settled on his shoulder, warm and calming.

  
  
Bokuto let out a heavy sigh, drooping lower. This was a dumb idea. That's what Kuroo really meant. Kuroo had so much patience with him and all his dumb ideas.

  
  
"Hey. You know I'm on your side here. I'm just… worried," Kuroo said carefully, in that tone he used whenever horses got scared or Bokuto got overwhelmed and he wanted to calm them down. It wasn't much comfort at the moment. "I don't wanna see you get in trouble, or hurt. You can't keep him here, okay? It's not safe for him, either."

  
  
"I… I guess that's for the best," Bokuto sighed. He shouldn't be taking care of a living thing. Birds who could build nests were smarter than him. He was lucky he hadn't squished the egg yet, right? It was safer on the ground where anything could eat it.

  
  
Kuroo ruffled his hair affectionately, a sad sort of smile tugging awkwardly at the corners of his mouth. Pity, Bokuto identified as his heart sank.

  
  
"I'll come back to your room after lights out, okay? I'll let you say goodbye to Akaashi now," Kuroo murmured. "We'll take him to the edge of the woods, Kou. It's where he belongs."

  
  
Bokuto made a plaintive noise and slumped onto his side, curling around the egg in the fetal position. He wasn't gonna cry. Definitely not, if he squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could and just never opened them again so nothing could come out.

 

He only noticed when Kuroo left because the door clicked softly behind him.

  
  
"I'm sorry I dragged you into all this, Akaashi. I didn't mean to ruin everything," Bokuto whispered. "I just knew you were something special. I wanted to keep you with me."

  
  
The egg pulsed steadily against him, keeping time with his heavy heart.

 

* * *

 

Bokuto paced in the shadows of the courtyard with his arms crossed over a suspicious bulge in his tunic. The egg radiated warmth against the skin of his stomach where he'd smuggled it under his clothing. He gnawed on his lower lip, eyes wide and anxious. Every little noise made him jump.

  
  
Kuroo was supposed to be getting them a horse while Bokuto acted as lookout, but he was getting nervous with how much time it was taking. Had Kuroo been spotted by the night guard? Were they both going to get in trouble for sneaking out after curfew? What if they got caught with the egg? What if Bokuto messed up Kuroo's chances at knighthood because of this?

 

They might both get kicked out over his dumb idea... and then what would happen to Akaashi?

 

Sour guilt curdled in his stomach, making him queasy. He frowned miserably. What a mess he'd made.

  
  
"I just wanted you to be safe and instead you're worse off here than in the woods and I'm sorry, honest," Bokuto whispered as quietly as he could manage.

  
  
The egg pulsed faster. It felt like a second heartbeat against his own. Bokuto rubbed the egg in reassurance, trying to mimic the way Kuroo calmed animals down.

  
  
"No no, don't be nervous! I'll fix it, I promise. I promise! Just hang in there a little longer."

  
  
The egg twitched. Bokuto stared down at the bulge with eyes as wide as saucers.

  
  
"Did… did you just move?" he blurted, forgetting to whisper.

  
  
The large egg rocked back and forth under his shirt. It was heating up, searing against his skin. Bokuto yelped and pulled it out, juggling it from hand to hand like a hot coal.

  
  
"Tetsu! Tetsu!!" he hissed, trying not to yell but also trying not to panic and holy crap it was starting to glow and everyone was gonna see them-!

  
  
"Kou," Kuroo whispered sharply from around the corner. "Is someone coming? I couldn't get into the stables so we gotta – what the hell?!"

  
  
It all happened too quickly for Bokuto to process. He turned to look at Kuroo just as the egg lit up like a beacon, flooding the courtyard bright as the sun. Bokuto cried out as the light blinded him, and flung the egg as high as he could. The air was rocked by the boom of an explosion. Immediately the shock wave blew Bokuto onto his back, legs kicked up in the air, ears ringing from the sound.

  
  
Glittering shards of glass rained down on the courtyard like confetti from every broken window in the castle wall. The alarm bells clanged wildly as the guards rushed toward the noise. It was dark again, but he could hear the other squires shouting in confusion and clamoring at the windows to try and see what was going on.

  
  
Kuroo was shaking him by the shoulders and hollering his name. They were so, so in trouble.

 

And Bokuto couldn't stop laughing. His whole body shook with wild peals of laughter, eyes watering, grinning from ear to ear as he flung his arms open to the sky.

  
  
"Akaaaashi!! Hey, hey, that was amazing! You're amazing!!"

  
  
The dark silhouette circling overhead wheeled slowly back toward the ground, towards his voice. Bokuto grinned impossibly wider as Kuroo's jaw dropped.

  
  
Leathery wings gracefully folded along his ridged spine as the slender dragon touched down in the courtyard, barely fitting his elegant body within the perimeter of the walls. His outer scales were black as the night sky, with his chin and underbelly lightening to shades of cloud grey. And he was huge. Like, really huge. Bokuto guessed it would be at least three horses stacked to equal his height, and more than that in length, if he could even get the horses on top of each other, which he probably couldn't but hopefully he wouldn't need to, since it would take some kind of pulley system or maybe just a catapult with good aim, and he would need to practice his aim to get it right.

  
  
Akaashi bowed his sleek head in greeting, showing a crown of horns, each one longer and thicker than Bokuto's arm. His catlike eyes were a sharp gold that glowed through the darkness. He was the most beautiful creature Bokuto had ever seen.

  
  
Bokuto eagerly pressed his hand against Akaashi's snout and rubbed it, marveling at the pebbly texture of his scales. "You feel just like your egg," he blurted.

  
  
"Please don't stick your fingers in my nostrils, Bokuto-san," Akaashi said patiently.

  
  
"Whoa, you can talk!" Kuroo exclaimed.

  
  
"Can all baby dragons talk?!" Bokuto shouted at the same time. "I've never met one before just now!"

  
  
Akaashi's yellow eyes narrowed into amused slits. He glanced back and forth between them before deciding how to respond.

  
  
"I'm not a newborn. I was… injured, rather badly, so I reverted to a dormant form in order to allow my wounds to heal. It… would have taken much longer, but warmth greatly speeds the process. I am indebted to your impressive body heat, Bokuto-san," Akaashi stated politely.

  
  
"You can change forms? You're not a baby?!" Bokuto squeaked, cheeks turning pink. "Oh man, did you have a name already? I'm sorry for giving you a name without asking. You can give me a name if you want!"

  
  
Kuroo guffawed. Bokuto punched him in the arm.

  
  
The dragon blinked slowly at the exchange, then shook his head. "You may continue to call me Akaashi. It is easier for human mouths to pronounce," he said graciously.

  
  
Bokuto flashed Kuroo a relieved smile. Kuroo smiled back and ruffled his hair.

  
  
"I knew he was amazing all along! Told you he wouldn't be a spider," Bokuto said smugly.

  
  
Kuroo elbowed him, muttering, "Told you he shouldn't hatch in your tiny bedroom. Can you imagine?"

  
  
"The whole castle would have blown up," Bokuto chortled.

  
  
"Don't sound so happy about it," Kuroo snickered back.

  
  
Akaashi sighed and drew back onto his haunches. His long tail waved back and forth, scraping against the stones of the courtyard wall.

  
  
"You should really pay more attention to your surroundings, Bokuto-san, Kuroo-san. The humans of this place are readying to attack me," Akaashi calmly reminded them. "I have no desire to incur more injuries. We should move to a safer location."

  
  
"Wait, is that how you got hurt before?" Kuroo guessed, his expression unreadable. "You were attacked by knights?"

  
  
"Correct," Akaashi stated.

  
  
"But did you… you know, pillage a town or something? Eat some people?"

  
  
"I have no interest in harming humans. I am solitary by nature. It was merely poor luck that they stumbled upon me and considered all dragons to be enemies."

  
  
Bokuto gawped.

  
  
"But… but we're knights-in-training," Bokuto protested. "I'm gonna be a knight soon. Are they gonna make me fight dragons like you for no reason?"

  
  
"Kou, I know you wouldn't do that," Kuroo murmured, throwing an arm around his shoulders and squeezing him fiercely.

  
  
"No, I wouldn't," Bokuto mumbled, sagging against Kuroo's side. Knights were supposed to be heroic and chivalrous. He just wanted to be a hero and protect people! He didn't want to hurt a beautiful dragon.

  
  
"No," he repeated, with firmer conviction. "I'm not gonna hurt Akaashi. I would never."

  
  
Akaashi's slender muzzle crinkled, baring the tips of his fangs. A spear clattered uselessly to the cobblestones. More were coming.

 

"While I am grateful for your assistance," the dragon stated formally, ridges bristling down his spine, "-perhaps it would be in all of our best interests to part ways here. I doubt they will look favorably upon a knight-in-training fraternizing with a dragon."

 

There was a rustling sound, and then the leathery wings spread dramatically wide, scraping against the castle walls. The squires in the windows shouted at the sight. Kuroo scooted backward to give him space, but Bokuto suddenly dashed forward and threw his arms around Akaashi's long neck.

  
  
"Akaaaaashi," he bellowed, dragging out the vowels. "I wanna go with you!"

  
  
"Kou, what the hell!" Kuroo yelped, scrambling to his side.

  
  
"Bokuto-san, you're choking me," Akaashi said mildly. "I thought you wanted to become a knight."

  
  
"I do! I mean, I did!" Bokuto yelled, screwing his eyes shut and holding on for dear life. His pulse was hammering harder than it did during jousting practice. It felt like he was gonna puke his heart out, and he hoped that wasn't really possible, because that was probably an embarrassing way to die.

 

This was crazy, right? He was impulsive, he knew that better than anyone, but somehow this felt like _fate_ , like whatever drew him to Akaashi's egg in the first place and made him want to pick it up and protect it. He didn't want to wake up tomorrow and have everything be back to normal again, because he never really got the hang of _normal_.

  
  
He just couldn't look Kuroo in the eye, because he was suddenly unsure of what this would mean for them.

  
  
"I wanna learn more about dragons," Bokuto said in a rush, the words tumbling together as he tried to get them all out at the same time. "And I wanna spend more time with you! And I don't wanna say goodbye, it was hard enough when you were an egg! So please, please, Akaashi, take me and Kuroo with you!"

  
  
Akaashi exhaled sharply through his nostrils, and cast a questioning glance at Kuroo.

  
  
Kuroo was still, simply staring at Bokuto's back like he wasn't sure what to do or say. When he noticed Akaashi's stare, though, he shot the dragon a cheeky wink.

  
  
"Well you're not about to drop out of school and run away on some crazy dragon adventure without me to watch your back," Kuroo announced, a brave smile settling over his determined features. "Let's do it, Akaashi!"

  
  
Bokuto's eyes flew open. He squealed with delight and let go, dropping back to the ground. "Tetsu!! Are you sure? Oh my god, I can't believe this is happening," he crowed, grabbing Kuroo by the shoulders and spinning him around. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

  
  
Akaashi rolled his eyes and muttered something snide about situational awareness. Gingerly the dragon scooped the two former squires in his claws and cradled them to his chest, ignoring their excited whoops and hollers. With one mighty wing beat, he blew back the guards trying to coordinate their attack, and took off into the night sky.

 

* * *

  
  
Dawn's first light streaked along the horizon above the treetops of the enchanted forest. The cliff face rose sheer into the clouds, dotted with the yawing mouths of caverns.

  
  
A black dragon was perched in one such cave, wings folded protectively over his two small companions.

  
  
Bokuto sat with his legs dangling off the ledge, kicking them back and forth as he leaned his head on Kuroo's shoulder. Akaashi's long tail was snaked safely around both their waists, and his lean snout was burrowed between the warmth of both of their bodies. Kuroo was idly scratching the scales underneath his chin. Akaashi's eyes were narrowed into satisfied slits, as his body rumbled with a soft purr.

  
  
"Tetsu?" Bokuto asked, voice uncharacteristically small. The forest stretched as far as he could see. He had no idea which direction the castle was from here, and even less idea of where his hometown lay beyond that. Everything was tiny from this high up.

  
  
"Yeah?"

  
  
"…Was this another one of my dumb ideas?"

  
  
Kuroo tilted his head in consideration. "What, you wanna go back? Having second thoughts?"

  
  
"No, no," Bokuto replied quickly. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't regret coming along on an impulse! It's okay if you changed your mind, you know, I won't be mad. I just don't wanna ruin your life, or anything. That would suck."

  
  
"I'm happy to be here with you, Kou," Kuroo affirmed, simple and honest. He snuggled closer. "And happy to have met you, Akaashi! I think everything is gonna be awesome from here on. This was the best idea you've ever had."

  
  
From between them, Akaashi sighed contentedly.

  
  
"You should listen to Kuroo-san," the dragon murmured, curling his tail a little tighter to squeeze Bokuto. "Nothing here seems ruined to me, Bokuto-san. You needn't worry so much about how others are feeling. We will let you know directly if we're ever unhappy."

  
  
"You promise?" Bokuto asked, curling his toes.

  
  
Both Kuroo and Akaashi nodded.

  
  
"Hey, hey," Kuroo chimed in, nudging him. He pointed to a flock of geese winging below them through the clouds.

  
  
"Hey, hey, hey!" Bokuto cheered, throwing his arms up in the air.

  
  
The birds honked in surprise and broke their formation. Akaashi rolled his eyes and grumbled good-naturedly.

  
  
They watched the sunrise in relative silence, content to lean into each other and listen to each others' breathing. Birdsong drifted up from the treetops once the sky lightened. Bokuto grinned, spirits bolstered. His eyes were a little watery, but it was totally from the altitude and not the overwhelming gratitude he had for how amazing Akaashi and Kuroo were and the fact that he got to be on an adventure together with the both of them.

  
  
Bokuto sniffled, and wiped his runny nose on his tunic.

  
  
"So, uh… What do dragons eat, if not people? I didn't pack any snacks for us," he asked. If his voice came out a little wobbly, neither of them called him on it.

  
  
"Dragons survive on a diet of giant spiders, Bokuto-san," Akaashi stated coolly. "These caves are swarming with them. Would you like me to gather you a breakfast?"

  
  
"Ooh, grab one of those bad boys for me," Kuroo deadpanned. "I'm starving!"

  
  
Bokuto stared in round-eyed horror at Akaashi, then at Kuroo, until Kuroo dissolved into raucous laughter. Akaashi's eyes narrowed to slits, and the rumble of purring resumed around them.

  
  
"You're teasing me?!" Bokuto squawked in mock indignation, leaping to his feet. "Oh my god, for a second there I believed you! That's not funny! You know I don't like spiders!"

  
  
"Yes," Akaashi confirmed. "You nearly dropped me in the woods when you thought one had dropped onto the back of your neck, although it was merely a leaf. Imagine if you had shattered me to pieces."

  
  
Kuroo chortled. "You don't know the half of it! When we were kids—"

  
  
"Tetsu-!"

  
  
"—Kou went barefoot for a month because he found a spider in his boot and he was too scared to check if it ever left. He still checks his shoes every day just in case."

  
  
Bokuto groaned, scrubbing his hands through his hair. Mentally he redacted every nice thing he'd just thought about Kuroo. Kuroo was a jerkface. Kuroo was going to get pranked so hard the next chance he got.

  
  
"Stop making me look uncool in front of Akaashi," he whined, punching Kuroo in the arm.

  
  
"What? It's why you wanted to be a knight, so you could get braver than you were as a kid," Kuroo defended, rubbing the forming bruise. "I think that's a cool goal."

  
  
Bokuto blinked, falling still for a moment. Akaashi's wings rustled in the silence as he repositioned himself.

  
  
"I think it was very brave of you to follow your heart, Bokuto-san," the dragon agreed. "I don't know how exciting it will be for you once the novelty wears off, but I hope I can repay my debt to you with some good memories together. Perhaps you'll have some stories to tell by the end of it."

  
  
Bokuto settled back beside the two of them and swept them into a big, crushing hug, Kuroo's face jammed into his chest and Akaashi's muzzle awkwardly pinned against his stomach. Bokuto was grinning so wide he felt like his face was going to split open. He hoped this would never end.

 

This was, without a doubt, the coolest thing that ever happened to him.


End file.
